Various types of liquid supply systems, including portable, dispensing containers, have become popular for use with a variety of fluid substances, including lotions, shampoos, cleaning liquids, beverages, other liquid food products, etc. One type of container comprises a generally flexible bottle with a dispensing closure having a dispensing aperture and a cap or lid that is hingedly connected, or releasably attachable, to the body of the closure and that can be opened to expose the dispensing aperture. The bottle can then be tipped and squeezed to discharge the fluid product. The lid can be returned to the closed position to prevent spillage if the container is dropped or tipped over. The closed lid may also help keep the contents fresh and may reduce the ingress of contaminants.
One type of closure for these kinds of containers also includes a flexible, self-closing, slit-type dispensing valve mounted in the closure over the container opening. The valve has a slit or slits which define a normally closed orifice that opens to permit flow therethrough in response to increased pressure within the container when the container is squeezed. The valve automatically closes to shut off flow therethrough upon removal of the increased pressure.
Designs of such valves and of closures using such valves are illustrated in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,531, U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,566, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,512. Typically, the closure includes a body or base mounted on the container neck to define a seat for receiving the valve and includes a retaining ring or other structure for holding the valve on the seat in the base. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,986 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,016. The valve is normally closed and can withstand the weight of the fluid product when the bottle is completely inverted so that the fluid will not leak out unless the bottle is squeezed. With such an improved system, the lid or cap need not be re-closed.
While such a valved dispensing system has significant advantages and functions well, it would be desirable to provide an improved system that would better accommodate opening of the valve at lower container pressures, and with more control and reduced tendency to spurt.
It would also be beneficial to provide an improved valve for a squeezable container wherein the valve has the capability to allow ambient air to vent back through the valve and into the container after the desired quantity of fluid product has been dispensed so as to equalize the container pressure with the ambient air pressure to facilitate return of the squeezed container wall(s) to the normal, undeformed shape.
It would also be advantageous if such an improved valve could be readily incorporated in a dispensing closure system that could accommodate various liquid supply systems, including bottles, containers, sports hydration backpack fluid dispensing systems, etc., which have a variety of shapes and that are constructed from a variety of materials.
Also, it would be beneficial if such an improved valve could accommodate designs that would permit the valve to be retained in the container or other system component with a retaining ring or other means, such as swaging, sonic welding, bonding, coining, etc.
Further, it would be desirable if such an improved valve could accommodate efficient, high-quality, large volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate to produce a valve with consistent operating characteristics unit-to-unit.
The present invention provides an improved dispensing valve and dispensing system which can accommodate designs having one or more the above-discussed benefits and features.